A lot of people would probably not have encountered a long-forgotten acronym that is abbreviated as LMF. It stands for Lack of Moral Fibre. It was the buzzword during the Second World War, particularly of wide usage by the British Royal Air Force. It was a punitive term primarily used to stigmatize personnel who shunned warfare. It was truly a derogatory label; personnel tagged as such were given lesser roles – often mundane if not menial!
The above-mentioned label was eventually mothballed and receded into oblivion once the last world war ended. But of late and especially with regard to the faith of many of those who call themselves Christians – does this brushed-aside label waltz around like a ghost from the distant past?
Sad to say, this aberration is making more than a mark on many who claim to follow Christ, just as the Blessed Hope is around the corner. There is a sizeable number who negate the exhortation in Luke 21:36.
“Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and stand before the Son of Man.”
It can be quite a letdown when people only focus on the looming threats but fail to make out the silver linings. They grimace as they cower in fear; the notion of no escape from that which is coming clouds their thinking. Question is, do they pray unceasingly and with a firm belief in the Lord’s power? More like a whimper of desperation if they tried praying.
What is their problem? Lack of faith! Quite a bit of history repeating itself except that it is a warfare of a totally different dimension. Then it was aerial combat, but as we speak – it is a battle against the unseen dark forces in the heavenly places. Like it or not, we are all in it – there is no such thing as conscientious objectors where spiritual warfare is concerned!
Long ago, men who refused the front line were relegated to less significant tasks in the rear. No such leniency in our time! For those who chicken out, their destiny would be very much like that of a headless capon. There is only room for the adversary to make fools out of those who bury their heads in the sand, getting all the mileage from whatever weakness they possess. More than enough for deception, delusion and ultimate destruction!
So long as the Church is here on earth, the battlefront in the spiritual realm is a reality. The very cornerstone of every member of this Body is belief in the enduring truth and unshakeable inerrancy found in the Word of God. Everything that is foolproof in Holy Writ enables peace to overwhelm strife, thereby allowing the peace that surpasses all understanding to reign in our hearts. We are then able to refute every thrust of a deceptive nature that is hurled at us.
The Word of God is alive, and with a power a lot of people underestimate. Many individuals are mesmerized by the awe and splendor of technology but fail to realize that it is miniscule when compared to the infinite power of the Holy Spirit. The Comforter of our souls is here with us and for us, but all too often, we brush this blessing aside. Sadly speaking, we are, more often than not, placing the Comforter in a compartment – this makes the enemy very happy. This is when we have an uncalled sense of weakness.
This is truly an uncalled-for jelly that would otherwise be muscle if we put everything into His hands. It is one thing to have a verbatim memory of Scripture verse by verse but another thing when it comes to belief in what is known. It can be the miracles recorded in the Old Testament and those recorded in the Gospels – but how many believe that there is a present-day application! A lot of folks see evil waxing worse as the days go by, and quite many are held captive by the rampant lawlessness that goes like a runaway train. Do they see and believe in the power of God that is far greater than the worst of it all? Nothing has changed – God is the same yesterday, today and forever. That goes for His unfailing and unwavering power.
In spite of the bleakness of our backdrop, we are more than capable when it comes to a victorious life in Christ. We simply have to walk the talk, words into action! This we do until we vanish with the twinkling of an eye. What are the worst things wicked people have in mind for us? They would be nothing if we believe in the power of our Saviour. Can that stuff scare us when they are no match for what God can do? Certainly not! Because, in His sight, those perpetrators of evil are nothing more than grasshoppers!
“He stood and measured the earth;
He looked and startled the nations,
And the everlasting mountains were scattered,
The perpetual hills bowed.
His ways are everlasting” (Habakkuk 3:6).
As I encourage, you also be encouraged.
Edwin
Contact me at edwinuk13@gmail.com